


Captain Hitsugaya's Guide to a Good Date

by Geishaaa



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, First Dates, HitsuMatsu - Freeform, Post-Canon, Romance, adult hitsugaya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 03:21:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16846147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geishaaa/pseuds/Geishaaa
Summary: Sick of seeing his lieutenant go on a string of bad dates, Toshiro sets out to show Rangiku how a real man treats a lady. A three part HitsuMatsu story.





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!~
> 
> I posted this on FFN almost 3 years ago (can you believe?) and therefore the writing is... well, me but three years ago.   
> And now that I have convinced you to read, enjoy xoxo

**PART I:**

TUESDAY, 9:17pm:

Toshiro watched his lieutenant pace back and forth in the office, her usual happy smile no longer visible as she chewed on her bottom lip nervously. She was waiting to go on a date with Lieutenant Hisagi of Squad Nine; they were supposed to be going to a bar just outside the Sereitei’s Northern gate.

Now,  Toshiro was no expert on going on dates, having only been on a handful himself (yes, that’s right, he has been on a date before, thank you very much), but he was pretty sure that turning up two hours late was considered rude, and rude was exactly what he believed Hisagi was being right now.

A frustrated sigh brought him back to the present, and he glanced up at Rangiku as she flopped down onto the office couch/her day bed.

Toshiro honestly wasn’t quite sure what to say. This was certainly not the first time he’d seen her disappointed by a man. In fact, Rangiku had been on numerous terrible dates in the past and she’d been stood up just as much. It had been happening quite a lot lately. He didn’t understand why the woman put up with it; she was Rangiku Matsumoto – Lieutenant of Squad Ten, not some desperate academy student.

Having lost all resolve to complete the form in front of him, Toshiro peeled himself away from his desk. He made a fresh batch of tea, poured himself and Rangiku a cup each, and headed back over to the couch.

Rangiku was sprawled out on the sofa, one arm draped lazily over her abdomen and the other brought up to shield her eyes from the harsh fluorescent light overhead. One leg dangled over the side of the couch and the other straightened out to rest on the arm. Despite her less than classy position, Toshiro could still admire her beauty; her long strawberry blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, framing her face and highlighting the bold choice of lipstick that adorned her plump lips. Rangiku was without a doubt the most gorgeous woman in the Soul Society, Toshiro knew, and although her loud, brash nature was not his usual type, he could appreciate her attractiveness like any other male.

She wore a tight, black skirt that was incredibly short, stopping just above mid-thigh, and an equally tight, short-sleeved top which was bright pink in colour and even lower cut than her uniform (if at all possible). _Hisagi might get a nosebleed_ , Toshiro pondered as his eyes skimmed over his lieutenant’s enormous bust. He wasn’t a breast man himself, knowing full well how dangerous those things could be when weaponised; too often had he found himself suffocating in the valley between Rangiku’s mountains.

“Here,” Toshiro said placing Rangiku’s cup of tea on the coffee table as she slowly pulled herself into a seated position.

She thanked him quietly as she blew on her steaming tea. He could tell she was upset that Hisagi still hadn’t shown; her shoulders were slightly slouched and her finger nails tapped a melancholy rhythm against the side of her mug.

Although Toshiro had little interest in boobs, he did, however, have an irrational fetish for collar bones. It was a little weird, he knew this, but as his lieutenant stretched back and laid her head against the top of the couch, her collar bone stuck out a little more than usual and he couldn’t help but feel a little turned on. Rangiku had a good a figure, and so he only saw her collar bone when she stretched or held herself a different way, which was good, because he doubted he’d get the same pleasure out of it if she was so skinny that he saw it all the time. She’d probably have to develop a severe eating disorder for that to happen and Toshiro definitely did not want that.

“What time did you say Hisagi was supposed to be coming again?” Toshiro asked tentatively, not wanting to upset his second seat any more, and took a sip of his tea.

“He said he’d meet me here at seven,” Rangiku sighed, “What time is it now?”

“Almost half past.”

“Seven?”

“Nine.”

Rangiku groaned and used her free hand to cover her face. She slumped sideways and came to rest her head on Toshiro’s shoulder. Toshiro swapped his tea to his other hand so that he could put his arm around her and tuck the hair covering her eyes behind her ear. It was a friendly gesture and nothing more; they’d been in the position many times before, and often in the reverse too, and both were completely comfortable with it.

After a few minutes of Toshiro rubbing Rangiku’s shoulder and silently wondering how on Earth a man could stand up a woman like her, a knock at the door brought the occupants of the room to attention.

“Rangiku, are you in there? It’s me,” Hisagi’s low baritone voice sounded from just outside the office.

_Seriously?_ He was two and a half hours late!

Rangiku jumped up in delight, “Come in, Shuuhei!”

Toshiro cringed at the sing song tone of her voice; she was supposed to be mad, not happy.

The wooden door slid across revealing a rather dishevelled looking Hisagi. His shirt was creased and untucked and one of his shoelaces was undone, causing him to stumble on his first step into the office.

“Sorry, Ran, I fell asleep,” The dark haired man apologised, “Do you still want to go?”

“Oh, that’s okay, I fall asleep all the time, just ask my captain!” Rangiku giggled, “Yeah, let’s go!”

Toshiro rolled his eyes at her antics and easy forgiveness. Standing up, he walked over to his desk and immediately began to complete his paperwork. He really wanted to say something, to tell Hisagi it was not okay for him to treat his lieutenant like that and to tell Rangiku to have a little more respect for herself but he knew that more harm than good could come of that; he’d need to pick his moment wisely.

“Good night, Captain!” Rangiku turned to him, “Don’t stay up too late now, the paperwork can wait until tomorrow.”

“I wouldn’t have to stay up so late if you’d just do your share, Matsumoto,” Toshiro muttered.

Rangiku only giggled before grabbing Hisagi’s hand and pulling him out the door, a giant smile plastered on her face.

Toshiro could only sigh and continue filling out the paper in front of him.

 

* * *

 

WEDNESDAY, 12:10am:

It was sometime after midnight when Toshiro finally left the office. He stacked his paperwork, washed his tea cup and then headed out into the deserted central corridor of the Tenth, locking the door securely behind him.

He could see the moon shining bright directly above him as he crossed through the open quadrant in the centre of his division; it was crescent shaped tonight, much like the blade at the end of the chain of his shikai. The quadrant looked much bigger now that it was empty compared to when he holds whole squad meetings and almost 300 soldiers try to cram in.

He nodded to the division members on night watch as he entered the sleeping quarters. His personal room was at the very end as most captains’ quarters were; the idea was to give captains more privacy, keeping a big distance gap between their room and any other room so no soul reaper would have a reason to be there, unless looking for their captain specifically of course.

As Toshiro walked, he could hear the peaceful snores of his soldiers. It was a quiet night in the Tenth, as most mid-week nights were; he was grateful that it wasn’t the weekend, otherwise his division members would drunk and in party mode right now. They were usually pretty tame during the week, well most of them anyway – his lieutenant was the one exception.

Suddenly, loud banging and a frustrated string of swear words sounded from further up the corridor. He didn’t need to see it to know it was Rangiku coming home from her date.

He rounded the corner to see her leaning heavily against a door and trying to fit the keys in the lock, before dropping them accidently. Rangiku bent over to pick them up, but in her drunken state and ridiculously high heels, she lost her balance and toppled over. A beat of silence passed as he watched her lay unmoving on the floor before she finally let out a pained groan and rolled onto her back.

“Matsumoto,” Toshiro called, walking over to her and helping her up, “What have you done to yourself?”

“Heeeeeey Captain!~~,” Rangiku slurred, seemingly happy to see him, “Have you come to rescue me?”

He assumed that Rangiku was trying to wink suggestively at him but she couldn’t isolate one eyelid from the other so she just ended up blinking at him dumbly as her face screwed up in concentration. Toshiro chuckled at her efforts, and eventually she gave up with a pout.

“My keys aren’t working, Captain!” She cried.

Still holding his lieutenant up with an arm around her waist, he sighed and stooped down to pick up her fallen keys.

“That’s because this isn’t your door, Matsumoto,” He explained, “It’s a storeroom.”

“Ehh?” Rangiku asked, now obviously very confused and disorientated.

Toshiro slowly turned them both around to face the door opposite the storeroom, “This is your room.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right!” Rangiku giggled as she traced the sign on the door in front her, a sign that read ‘Lieutenant Matsumoto’s Private Living Quarters’.

Toshiro sighed again, and pushed the keys into the lock, twisting until the click and then turning the doorknob.

“Here you go,” He told Rangiku, slipping the keys into her hand and slowly releasing his hold on her. She swayed but stayed upright.

“Thanks, Caaaaptain! What would I do without you?”

Rangiku took a tentative step through the threshold and immediately stumbled, heading straight back down to the floor. Toshiro caught her quickly.

“Dammit, Matsumoto, why did you drink so much?” He asked, not expecting her to answer.

He slid an arm under her legs and the other around her shoulders and carried her to the bathroom. Their rooms had a similar layout, so he found it almost straight away. He slowly lowered Rangiku to a sitting position on the rim on the bath tub, and angled her so she was able to lean back against the bathroom wall and hopefully not fall into the tub. ‘Hopefully’.

He found her toothbrush and applied some toothpaste. He handed it to her along with a cup of water. She obeyed the silent order without hesitation. Toshiro also found a wash cloth and ran it under some warm water.

“Close your eyes,” Toshiro spoke softly, crouching down and lifting the cloth to Rangiku’s face.

Toshiro gently began to wipe her face, and gradually all the make-up came off.  Rangiku always wore make-up to work and even more when on dates; he had only seen her without it a handful of times within the fifty or so years he’d known her. He honestly couldn’t see that much of a difference though; she had a pretty face either way.

Rangiku continued to brush her teeth in a lazy manner before leaning forward to spit in the sink. She then silently went about drinking the cup of water.

“What do you normally where to bed, Matsumoto?” Toshiro stood back up, intending to fetch his lieutenant some pyjamas.

“Nothing,” Rangiku flashed him a grin.

“Um…okay, then,” Toshiro choked out, doing his best to hide his blush as Rangiku laughed manically.

He led her into the bedroom, and gave her some privacy while she undressed. In her kitchen, he found some painkillers and another cup which he filled with water. By the time he got back to the bedroom, his lieutenant was thankfully fully covered under the blanket and fast asleep.

Toshiro allowed himself a soft smile as he placed the water and painkillers on her nightstand and wrote her a quick note before heading to the door and flicking off the light.

“Good night, Rangiku.”

 

* * *

 

WEDNESDAY, 11:35am:

Rangiku woke up the next morning with a splitting headache, dry mouth and an awful feeling in her stomach. She groaned and winced at the way-too-bright sunlight streaming in through her windows. It was probably near midday.

Rolling onto her side, Rangiku covered her eyes with her hands. Why did she have to drink so much last night? She was normally a heavy weight, but last night she had really outdone herself. Cup of sake after cup of sake…and shots, oh so many shots. She briefly wondered how Shuuhei would be holding up this morning.

A sudden pained gasp left her lips as her head throbbed even harder against the inside of her skull. _Damn_ , she was going to have to get up and find some painkillers if she wanted to survive this day, but the thought of getting out of bed and stumbling around her kitchen did not sound inviting.

After several minutes of groaning and mentally complaining, another harsh throb pushed her up into a sitting position; she needed a painkiller pronto.

Rangiku turned and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. The fast movement was a bad idea, she realised, as the world around her spun and she did her best to keep last night’s liquid dinner from making a speedy exit up her oesophagus and out her mouth. As she concentrate on not vomiting, she stared at her nightstand and once the nauseous feeling had passed, Rangiku realised she was staring at a packet of painkillers and a glass of water.

_Well, that’s handy_ , she thought, shakily reaching out to the items. She wondered if she herself had put them there as she popped two small pills out of the plastic and swallowed them with a gulp of water. Rangiku doubted that it was her; she wasn’t the most proactive of people. Shuuhei? No, Shuuhei had been just as plastered and gone his own way once they reached the Ninth.

Rangiku then noticed a little note left on the nightstand. She picked it up, and once her eyes could adjust, she saw the familiar slanted script of her captain; it read _‘don’t be late to work’._

_Oops_ , she was already late according to her alarm clock.

She racked her brain trying to remember if she’d seen him after the date. She must have because it did sound like something he’d do. He always took care of her, no matter how badly she messed up, or how self-induced her struggles were. Rangiku slowly began to recall her captain helping her get into her house late last night, and she remembered him helping to wipe her make-up off. She smiled; of course it was him who left the painkillers and water next to her bed.  No one else would have done that for her.

Lying back down, Rangiku snuggled into her blankets. She’d just have a short nap before heading into work, just to let the medication take effect; she was already late, so what did another half hour matter?

When she awoke again, the painkillers had indeed done their job and her stomach felt much better. She was hungry now too, a good sign. If she got up now, she’d be just in time for lunch-

3:21pm!

_Shit_ , now she was really late.

Twenty minutes later she was hurtling through the office door and startling her captain. Toshiro looked surprised to see her.

“I wasn’t expecting you to come in at all today, Lieutenant,” Toshiro voice was clipped and tinged with irritation, “Nice of you to join me.”

Rangiku knew he really wasn’t that mad at her. She was late every morning and left early every afternoon. It was more for show than anything; he was probably trying to convince himself that he still held some sort of authority over her working hours.

“I’m sorry, Captain! I slept in, and then I felt really sick, so I slept some more,” Rangiku explained with an exasperated expression, “Thank you for leaving me those painkillers, they were a real lifesaver.”

She winked playfully at him but he just glared at her.

“What happened to you last night, Matsumoto? I thought you were on a date?”

“I was, Sir!”

“You’re not supposed to get drunk on dates.”

“Says who? Shuuhei was drunk too,” Rangiku replied.  She tapped a finger on her chin in a thoughtful pose, “He was a lot more drunk than me, now that I think about it.”

“That makes it even worse,” Toshiro muttered coldly, “Too drunk to even walk you home, I assume?”

“Yes?” Rangiku answered, unsure where her captain’s hostility was coming from, “I’m a big girl, Captain, I can walk myself home and it was only one division away, so who cares?”

“I care,” Toshiro snapped.

There was a moment of silence between them as they stared at each other. Rangiku felt trapped under the intense gaze of her captain. His teal eyes had always been a mixture of beautiful and terrifying, and so she let her eyes drift down to the floor. She heard a quiet sigh from the other side of the desk.

“I know you can take care of yourself, Matsumoto,” He explained softly, “But that’s not the point. If you take a girl on a date, you should walk her home afterwards, its common courtesy.”

Rangiku met her captain’s eyes once more. They were softer now, looking at her with a great deal of care and concern.

“Furthermore,” He continued, “You were so drunk, what if you had fallen over and hurt yourself? Or what if you had accidently stumbled into the Eleventh? I hate to think of what those barbarians might have done.”

“I could take every one of them,” Rangiku joked, trying to relieve the tension.

“Yes, you probably could,” Her captain gave a little smirk before falling serious again, “But not in the state you were in last night, and definitely not unarmed like you were.”

Rangiku found herself feeling pretty stupid. She could remember falling over in front of her room last night and trying to unlock the wrong door. Toshiro had seen it all and had been the one to help her. She couldn’t really argue his point; he was right, she took a huge risk when she drank like that and then went off alone.

“I’m sorry,” She said, and sincerely meant it. She knew her captain was protective of her, as he was with all his squad members, and she’d made herself look like an idiot in front of him.

“I’m not mad at you, Matsumoto…okay, I’m a little mad at you, you shouldn’t have drunk that much and walked home alone,” He responded, “But I am more mad at Hisagi for treating you like this.”

“Like what, Sir?” Rangiku asked; a little confused.

“Like you don’t even matter to him. He was two and a half hours late to your date, and when he did turn up, he was untidy and offered a poor excuse. He didn’t even bring you any flowers. He then got so intoxicated that he couldn’t walk you home, and he let you go walking around the Seireitei alone in a very similar state.”

As he rattled off reason after reason, she was surprised to see how much he knew about dates. Maybe she had made him sit through too many romantic comedies with her.

“What do you know about dating?”

“I’m not a child, Lieutenant, I have been on a dates before,” Toshiro answered icily, and Rangiku knew she had pissed him off.

“What?” She exclaimed, not at all helping her case, “With whom?”

She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealously at the thought of her captain on a date with another girl. Probably a cute, wholesome girl…like Momo or Orihime.

“That’s not important right now,” He answered with a clipped tone, “What is important is the fact that you continually go on these crap dates with stupid guys that have no idea how to treat a lady.”

“Hey, that’s not tru-“

“Hisagi, Abarai, Kira, and don’t even get me started on Madarame…”

She cringed remembering some of those dates. Renji had been a total ass, gallivanting about the place like a baboon. Izuru had been so timid, she had to pick him up for the date and organise all the details. And let’s just say her captain was right not to talk about her date with Ikkaku…she shuddered at the thought alone.

“Well, if you know so much about how to treat a girl on a date, why don’t you take me on one and show me how it’s done!” Rangiku exclaimed, letting the heat of the moment take over.

Her captain paused over the form he had been about to pick up from his stack of unfinished paperwork. Rangiku too paused, the breath caught in her throat.

“You want me to take you on a date?” Toshiro rasped out, looking back up at her with disbelieving eyes.

Rangiku thought about it for a second, what was the harm really?

“Yes, as a friend, to make your point,” She answered coolly. To be honest, she was getting a little giddy on the inside.

Her captain rolled his ink brush in his hand as he appeared to mull things over. After a minute, he gave a confident nod, having finally reached his decision.

“Fine, we will go on a date, as friends, and I will show how a real date is supposed to go,” Toshiro concluded, “How does Saturday night work for you?”

“Perfect.”

 

* * *

 

THURSDAY, 12:13pm:

“Where are we going on our date, Captain?”

“There is a restaurant in the second district on the South side. It specialises in modern Western cuisine, that’s your favourite, right?”

“Y-yes,” Rangiku stuttered from her place behind her desk, surprised her captain knew that about her. She did love trying all the western-style food, but it was hard to come by in the Soul Society.

“Good, now get back to work.”

 

* * *

 

THURSDAY, 1:46pm:

“Will you be wearing regular clothes on our date, Captain?”

“Yes,” Toshiro responded without tearing his gaze away from his paperwork, “It’s a date, why would I wear my uniform?”

“…”

“Get back to work, Matsumoto.”

 

* * *

 

THURSDAY, 2:29pm:

“Can I ask a question about our date, Captain?”

“I think you’ve asked plenty for today,”

“Can I call you ‘Toshiro’ on our date, Sir?”

“…”

“…”

“No. Get back to work.”

 

* * *

 

THURSDAY, 3:56pm:

“Pretty please?” Rangiku begged shamelessly, “It’s supposed to be a real date, remember?”

Toshiro silently contemplated the issue. He knew she’d never shut up about it if he didn’t agree, and she’d probably just do it anyway.

“Fine, BUT only ‘Toshiro’, not ‘Shiro-chan’ or any other variety, and ONLY while on the actual date.”

Toshiro was suddenly glomped by two massive milk bags and had the air squeezed out of him. He was definitely going to regret this.

“Oh, thank you, Captain. This means you’ll have to call me by my first name as well!”

“MATSUMOTO! LET GO AND DO YOUR WORK!”

 

* * *

 

FRIDAY, 5:01pm:

“I am going now, Captain, I have an SWA meeting and then I’m going drinking!” Rangiku announced, peeling herself off the office couch and fluttering over to her working captain, “I promise I won’t drink too much so I’ll feel good for our date tomorrow!”

She came around behind Toshiro and hugged him tightly. Her boobs were pressing into the back of his head but he still didn’t look up from his paperwork.

“Alright, Matsumoto,” He droned, seemingly bored, “I’ll pick you up from your place at 6:30. I’ll be on time too, so make sure you’re ready.”

“I’ll be ready!” Rangiku called as she skidded out the office door.

Over the last two days her excitement had been building. It was kind of funny to see her captain under this new light, to see him as a possible romantic partner rather than just a professional one. Of course she knew that the date was just a friendly one, for Toshiro to make his point, but she couldn’t help but wish it was something a bit more.

Toshiro had grown up to be quite a handsome young man in Rangiku’s opinion; well ‘grown’ probably wasn’t the right word as he was still shorter than her. The height gap had closed a little though, which she was thankful for, as well as the age gap. He could now easily pass for 17, perhaps 20 if they pushed it push it a little, and Rangiku found herself looking remarkably good for her own age. On the physical appearance scale, she believed that they would make a rather attractive couple and not at all weird.

Of course, there was the professional side of things to consider as well. It was not always a good idea for couples to work in the same division, especially higher up the ranks. Luckily there was no law against it; with soldiers living in such close quarters to one another, feelings often developed, and as long as they didn’t let it get in the way of their duties, it was generally accepted. Higher ranked couples in the same division have also existed over time, such as the Thirteenth’s previous Lieutenant Kaien Shiba and his wife, the Third Seat Miyako Shiba. There were also a number of rumours about Rangiku’s good friends, Captain Kyoraku and his lieutenant, Nanao; rumours which Rangiku could confirm, by the way.

Okay, Rangiku was definitely getting way too ahead of herself. She wanted to date her captain, like seriously date him. She didn’t even know how her captain felt about her yet. Hell, she didn’t even realise she wanted this until it happened. Toshiro was just so perfect now that she thought about it. No one else cared for her the way he did, and none of her guy friends were the gentlemen her captain was.

Rangiku suddenly realised she had already arrived at Kuchki Manor (where all SWA meetings were held unbeknownst to the homeowner). Still caught up in her thoughts she snuck into the secret meeting room and upon entering, she saw Nanao working through the evening agenda.

“Thank god you’re here, Nanao, I need your help!”

 

* * *

 

SATURDAY 10:15am:

Toshiro poured himself yet another cup of tea, his third this morning, and tried to get back down to business. He usually did work Saturday mornings to finish off the rest of the week’s paperwork while most of the squad enjoyed their weekend off. It was usually his most productive day as there were far less interruptions; no training or drill practice, no meetings and no lieutenant.

Except today he was barely getting through any of it, his mind constantly wandering off to think about his plans for later that night. It was the night of the date, and he was suddenly struck with nervousness. What if it all went horribly, and Rangiku never wanted to speak to him again? Or worse, what if it went really well, and she wanted to go try it on another guy while he fell hopelessly in love with her?

Wait, what? Toshiro wasn’t going to fall in love with Rangiku; that was just ridiculous. They were friends, colleagues…family almost.

Did he have a small, tiny, itty bitty crush on his lieutenant? Yes, sure, every male (and a few women too) in the Seireitei did…but did that mean love? No. No, no, no it did not.

Rangiku was attractive, of course, and very sexy, everyone knew that. She was funny too, and he often struggled to hold back a chuckle or smile when watching her antics. Rangiku also cared a lot, about her friends and people in need; it was one of things he admired about her. It was, in fact, the thing about her that saved him all those years ago in Junrinan. He owed his life and the life of his granny to her.

Maybe this date was a bad idea. Toshiro did not want to screw up the relationship they’d built together. He didn’t want to tarnish their trust and friendship…but at the same time, he was sick of seeing her being treated so poorly by her ‘dates’ and even more sick of seeing her let them treat her this way and her thinking its normal. It wasn’t normal, and it certainly wasn’t okay. She deserved respect, not just as a lieutenant but as a woman, and he was going to make damn sure that she got it.

Having found new resolve to go on this date, Toshiro packed up his work and headed out of the office. He decided to pay the sickly captain of the Thirteenth division a visit, and with any luck, the renowned romancer captain of the Eighth would be there too. He was going to need some more advice, and who better than the Sereitei’s most gentle and most charming?


	2. Part II

**Part II:**

SATURDAY, 6:12pm:

Rangiku was a mess.  She moved about her room frantically, like a tornado tearing up a small village. Clothes, make-up, shoes and jewellery covered the floor of her bedroom and bathroom. Toshiro was coming to pick her up in under twenty minutes and she hadn’t even decided on what to wear. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been tossing up her options until now, she’d spent the last three days trying to decide.

“Okay, what about this?” Rangiku asked, emerging from the closet and looking at herself in the mirror.

“I think you might be a bit cold in that,” Nanao answered, having come over to help her friend get ready for the big date.

“Oh nonsense Nanao, I’ve worn this dress in the middle of winter before.”

Rangiku was sporting a deep red dress; it was tight, low-cut and extremely short. It was almost completely backless too; very sexy.

“I know, I know, but this is Captain Hitsugaya you’re going out with, he doesn’t appreciate dresses like that as much as the other men you’ve dated,” Nanao reasoned.

“I think you’re right,” Rangiku sighed, “He likes nice, cute girls, not…not me.”

Rangiku was extremely anxious about going tonight. She was afraid that her captain might not like the way she acts or dresses, and maybe he’ll never see her the same way ever again. She didn’t want to make it awkward between them.

“That’s enough, Rangiku,” Nanao spoke in her best authoritative voice, “If he wanted a nice, cute girl, than he’d have one, but tonight he is going out with you.”

The dark hair lieutenant marched right up to Rangiku’s closet and pulled out a skirt and a top. She held them up for Rangiku to see, asking a silent question.

The strawberry blonde eyed the items. They’d be perfect. Sexy, but not too sexy; classy and elegant but still fun. _Thank God for Nanao._

They spent the next fifteen minutes working together to get Rangiku ready. The two ladies worked efficiently, as if they were cutting down a pack of hollows and not preparing for a date.

A knock at the front door echoed through the small apartment right on 6:30; her captain was indeed on time.

Both women froze; Rangiku holding lipstick an inch from her face and Nanao half-way through tying off Rangiku’s braid.

“What do I do?” Rangiku asked; her panic beginning to rise.

Nanao appeared to observe her friend for a moment, and so Rangiku did the same. She had decided to wear flat shoes in order to not feel any taller than necessary next to Toshiro. She wore a white skirt which hugged her figure nicely; it was full length but had a slit up the side to show off a bit of her nicely toned leg. Her top was sky blue in colour – perfectly complimenting her eyes – and was halter-neck style, showing a little cleavage but nowhere near as much as her uniform. Nanao had done a lovely, loose, side braid in her hair which draped beautifully over her left shoulder. Rangiku had also taken to wearing multiple rings on her fingers, a charm bracelet around her wrist and her favourite necklace to top things off. She looked pretty good, if she did say so herself.

“Answer the door,” Nanao answered at last, “You’re ready.”

Rangiku gave an excited (but nervous) squeal and ran to get the door.

 

* * *

 

Toshiro knocked on the door at precisely 6:30. He prayed that no one from his division came around the corner now to see him standing outside his lieutenant’s door in modern clothing clutching a bunch of flowers. He was suddenly very tense; he was way out of his depth here. Yes, he had been on a few dates, he’d endured one too many chats with the older captains, and watched a number of ridiculous romance movies, but Rangiku had probably eighty years of real experience under her belt and he could not compare with that.

Of course, most of her dates were idiots, so that might be to his advantage.

Still, has he heard Rangiku’s footsteps approaching the door, his stomach wound itself into a tight knot. _Shit, shit, shitty shit._

The door swung open to reveal Rangiku in an outfit he’d never seen before. His breath got caught in his throat and he forgot to breathe.

It was quite common for souls to where modern clothing in the Soul Society, mostly because souls usually arrived here in the clothes they had died in. The older souls, ones who had been here for a long time, usually struggled to keep up and stuck to traditional Japanese clothing. Soul reapers had the advantage of visiting the Living World, and thus they also kept up with the modern clothing. Toshiro himself cared very little for it; give him a yukata any day.

“Hello Toshiro,” Rangiku smiled at him and he almost fainted. He hadn’t expected his name to sound so good coming from her mouth, nor her smile to be so stunning.

“Hello Rangiku,” He managed. Good, at least he still had his voice.

“Come in, I just gotta say bye to Nanao,” Rangiku told him, “She came over to help me get ready.”

The captain of the Tenth followed his lieutenant inside before abruptly remembering the flowers in his hand.

“These are for you,” He thrusted them out in front of him, and spoke quickly, “They’re a combination of daffodils and lilies; daffodils for our division and lilies because they’re your favourite.”

Rangiku looked startled by his speedy explanation and took the bouquet into her hands. Toshiro wanted to smack himself for acting like such an idiot. He probably sounded like a teenager talking to a woman for the first time ever.

He breathed deeply as the strawberry blonde smelt the flowers and beamed happily at him. Well at least he thought she was beaming at him? He was feeling a little light-headed to be honest. Oh God, he better not pass out.

Lieutenant Ise had come into the room at some point because Rangiku was giving her the flowers and asking her to put them in water. Ise took the flowers with a smile before turning to greet him. She nodded to him, almost approvingly.

“I’ll just grab my purse, and then we’ll go,” Rangiku announced, skipping off to her bedroom.

A minute later, they were walking through the division, ignoring the odd looks from their subordinates, and setting off on their first date.

As winter was approaching, the sun had already set behind the mountains, but a bit of natural light illuminated the streets as they moved through. Twilight was Toshiro’s favourite time of the day; when the heat of the day began to dissolve and the moon became more visible.

Looking at the woman next to him, he couldn’t help but marvel at her beauty in this lighting. Sure, she looked gorgeous 24/7 but this was next level. He could only grin at the thought of being on a date with a woman like her.

“What are you thinking about?” Rangiku asked him, “I haven’t seen that twinkle in your eye in a while.”

“What ‘twinkle’?” Toshiro demanded, scoffing at the thought of having a ‘twinkle’.

“It’s a look you get in your eyes when you’re really happy…like when you first achieved bankai, or when you get back from visiting your grandmother,” Rangiku explained, laughter hinted in her voice, “So, _Toshiro_ , what were you thinking about?”

“Honestly?” Toshiro sighed. When his second in command gave him the nod to go ahead, he gave a slight shrug and told her the truth.

“You look beautiful tonight.”

 

* * *

 

“You look beautiful tonight.”

Rangiku paused mid-step and turned to look at her captain. He was staring at her; not in a creepy way or like he did when he was mad, but in a new way. She blushed like crazy; no one had ever looked at her like that before and no one had ever told her that she was ‘beautiful’.

She stuttered out a very bashful ‘thank you’, and followed him as he continued to walk in the direction of the south gate.

She could tell he wasn’t lying, but it didn’t make it any easier to accept that he had that happy look in his eyes because of her. She saw that look once in a blue moon.

The busty lieutenant snuck a quick peak at her date. He was looking very handsome, indeed. She rarely saw him out of uniform except when in the World of the Living. He was wearing dark wash jeans and a collared button up shirt with a black jacket. In her opinion, he easily could have just stepped out of a magazine for one of the American designers, like that Calvin Klein she’d heard so much about. Toshiro’s hair was as untamed as ever, which she loved, and his eyes shone brighter than normal.

Eventually they made it to the restaurant and we’re guided to their table. Her captain had made a reservation apparently, and they were seated right next to the window which overlooked the magnificent South Lake. Toshiro had, very chivalrously, pulled her chair out for her before sitting himself. 

They ordered some drinks to start, and Rangiku was surprised to see her captain order a bottle of sake…for both of them.

“Toshiro!” God, she loved saying that, “I thought you said I wasn’t supposed to drink on dates!”

“I said you shouldn’t get _drunk_ on dates. You can have half a bottle, I’m sure it will barely affect you.” He explained coolly, “And before you ask: yes, I’m having some as well because that’s what you do on dates.”

“Ahh, yes, _Captain Hitsugaya’s Guide to a Good Date_ ,” She teased, “Tell me, Captain, what does a good date include?”

“Well, Lieutenant,” He smirked back at her, “Tonight, I figured I’d show you around a tradition dinner date –since it’s our first – and so far, we have already checked a number of requirements off our list.”

“You have a list?” Rangiku laughed, her captain grinned back at her. She couldn’t believe it, but it seemed as though they were flirting with each other naturally.

“Of course.”

“So what are the items we have completed?”

“Number 1, we agreed to a time and place a few days in advance and I made a reservation. Remember this, Rangiku, Preparedness is key,” Toshiro started and Rangiku couldn’t help but giggle; he was too cute for his own good, “Number 2, I picked you up, on time, and gave you flowers. I was very impressed that you were ready on time too, by the way.”

“You have Nanao to thank for that,” She laughed remembering what a mess she was leading up to the date, “Please continue.”

“Number 3, I told you that you looked beautiful. A man should always compliment a girl when she has made an effort to look good for him.”

Rangiku’s smile suddenly faltered; she still wasn’t used to being treated so respectfully. Well, as a lieutenant she was, but not as a woman. She realised she’d dropped her gaze to the table when she felt a cool hand grab hers. Startled, she looked up to meet her Captain’s concerned gaze.

“What’s the matter?” He asked, looking guilty, “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, no, Captain,” She offered him a sad, half-smile, “It’s just that…well, you called me ‘beautiful’…and I wasn’t expecting it.”

“It’s ‘Toshiro’ tonight,” Her captain frowned at her, “And I’m not sure what’s upsetting you. Was it the word ‘beautiful’? Or the fact that it came from me?”

“I just…I don’t know,” Rangiku sighed. Damn it, she was ruining the mood.

“Do you not believe it?” Toshiro persisted.

“I…”

“Because it’s true, you know. I know this is just a friendly date, but I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t believe it”

“I know, I just…”

“…”

“No one has ever said that to me before,” Rangiku answered truthfully. She was starting to feel very small under her captain’s observant gaze.

 

* * *

 

“No one?” Toshiro questioned; how was this even possible? “What do you mean, ‘no one’?!”

His lieutenant nodded solemnly and refused to meet his eye. Apparently she found her lap much more interesting. Toshiro felt his anger starting to rise; how could no one have told this woman she was beautiful? She was the most stunning woman in the whole Soul Society; surely everyone knew that.

“What about all your other dates? They’ve never complimented you like that?”

Rangiku let out a small laugh, “Yeah, they’ve complimented me, but it’s usually ‘hot’ and ‘sexy’, not ‘beautiful’…Gin used to call me ‘gorgeous’, I suppose that’s similar, but that was a long time ago.”

Toshiro was thoughtful for a moment. He supposed that given the way she normally dressed on dates, those particular words would be the first out of those idiot’s mouths. He didn’t like that though; he didn’t like it when men looked at his lieutenant like she was just some sex toy or a good fuck. She was incredibly good looking and yes, incredibly sexy, but that wasn’t all there was to her; she had a level of beauty that delved deeper than just physical appearance. Rangiku Matsumoto had a good heart and a kind soul. He hoped that if she did ever settle down, it would be with someone who appreciated that part of her more than her looks.

He overlooked the Ichimaru comment. He knew better than to go there. Instead, he leaned across the table and lightly hooked a finger under his date’s chin, forcing her to look him in the eye.

“You are beautiful, so you better start believing it,” He spoke softly but firmly, “And I’ll fight any guy who says otherwise.”

Rangiku looked stunned for a moment but eventually her features formed into another breath-taking smile. She had decided to believe him.

“Okay, Kenpachi, settle down,” She joked and Toshiro allowed himself a little smile.

Before he could stop himself, Toshiro found himself leaning closer. He stared at her lips; they looked plump, smooth and utterly kissable. Kissable, what?!

His hand had moved from under her chin to cupping her cheek, and Rangiku was looking straight into his eyes. Toshiro was screaming at himself to sit back down, but his body moved on its own accord, leaning closer and closer to his Lieutenant. He barely registered the fact that she too was leaning in closer to him.

 

* * *

 

Toshiro was staring at her mouth and leaning towards her. Rangiku could hardly breathe. They were going to kiss. This was happening. Everything moved in slow motion around her, and her brain moved even slower. She wanted him to kiss her so badly.

She realised that her body was moving too; she was leaning into him. Her heart thundered against her chest as Toshiro’s cool finger removed itself from under her chin to cupping the cheek. His head tilted slightly and hers tilted the other way. They were two inches apart and closing in.

 “May I take your order?”

They jumped apart and looked at the waiter like deer caught in headlights.

Rangiku was miffed; _damn waiter_ , turning up now of all times. Toshiro was sitting as far back in his chair as physically possible and she could practically see his mind working at the speed of light. He was confused by his own actions, most likely, and was probably berating himself for it.

They ordered their dinner and the waiter left, making a bee-line straight for the kitchen.

In the time they’d take to order, the awkwardness of the almost-kiss had worn off, and Rangiku quickly gave them a new topic to discuss before Toshiro could try to apologise.

They talked for fifteen minutes before their meals had arrived, covering everything from personal to professional. Rangiku was definitely very surprised to realise how much her captain listened when she babbled on and on in the office, usually while she was lying on the couch with a magazine or painting her nails and Toshiro worked through the mountains of paperwork. He seemed to know everything that was happening in her life right now; the SWA’s latest project, her favourite movie, and all of her female friend’s relationship troubles. Upon review, she realised she did talk about a lot of strange things in front of her boss.

Rangiku was also pleasantly surprised about how open he was being. He rarely talked about his private life or his past before they’d met. It was nice to get to know the man under the Haori.

“So tell me, Toshiro, who are these girls that you’ve dated?” She prodded his shoulder playfully, “And why didn’t I know about them?”

“I didn’t tell you because I thought you’d get all mum-like and want to get me ready and brush my hair,” He laughed (and wow, did he have a sexy laugh), “and it was before I was captain, so we weren’t as close as we are now.”

“I’m too young to be your mother, thank you very much,” She looked at him sternly while he flashed a cheeky grin at her, “Now, which girls? I want to know about every one of them.”

“Alright,” He sighed in defeat, “There have been three girls.”

“THREE?!”

“The first one was back at the academy. Her name was Chiyo. I think we only went on one date actually,” Toshiro began, “She was just using me to help her pass the theory work, I knew that too but shamefully, I did all of her assignments for her, which trust me, was the only thing that stopped her from repeating final year.”

“Seriously?” Rangiku laughed, imagining a love-struck preteen Toshiro doing all the assignments for this girl, “Why did you do her work if you knew she was using you?”

“It was just after Kusaka died,” He shrugged, “He was my only friend, so I was just happy to have another person to talk to.”

Rangiku let her smile drop a little and reached over to grab his hand; Kusaka was a touchy subject for her captain.

“What happened in the end? With Chiyo, I mean,” She urged him on.

“Oh, nothing, we graduated and I never saw her again. I don’t even know which division she’s in now.”

Rangiku didn’t think he realised it, but he was lightly rubbing his thumb over her knuckles and it felt nice, very nice.

“The next girl was one of Kyoraku’s low-seated officers. He and Captain Shiba were trying to set us up for a long time,” Toshiro frowned.

“Oh, I think I remember that now!” Rangiku exclaimed, “What was her name again? Ky-something?”

“Kyoko,” Toshiro supplied, taking a sip of his sake, “She was my first, too.”

“WHAT?!” Rangiku screeched, a few other people in the restaurant turning to look at her. She quietly apologised to them before turning back to her captain.

“You’ve had sex?!” She whispered accusingly, and he went beet red.

“Uh, y-yes?” Toshiro spluttered, “I went through puberty a long time ago, don’t be so surprised, Matsumoto.”

Rangiku flopped back in her chair dramatically. How did she not know this? That little piece of information definitely took the cake for ‘shock of the night’. To be honest, she’d wanted to know the answer to that question for a long time, but until now, he’d never answered her.

“Gosh, alright,” Rangiku recovered from her shock, “What happened after that?”

“She cheated on me with some guy from the Eleventh,” He answered bluntly.

Rangiku swallowed her mouthful of sake harshly, “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I walked in on them. She didn’t see me, and I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t even tell her. I broke up with her the next day, told her I didn’t see our relationship going anywhere,” Toshiro continued. Despite the way it ended, he was still giving a hint of a smirk, “She still glares at me when I see her around.”

“You probably broke her heart,” Rangiku joked terribly, but her captain still laughed anyway.

Rangiku loved this date. Her captain was being the gentleman he promised to be, he had called her ‘beautiful’ and they had almost kissed – although she would have preferred it to have actually happened. It was so refreshing to see this side of Toshiro, the personality lying deep beneath all his responsibilities and burdens. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d seen him laugh and play along with her like this.

“Okay, tell me about the last girl?” Rangiku bobbed happily in her chair, excited for more gossip on her captain’s love life, “Was she just as terrible?”

“No, actually,” Toshiro took a sip from his cup, “She was definitely the best of the three.”

“Tell me, tell me, tell me!”

“Settle down, Rangiku.”

“Please?”

“Okay fine,” He began, “Just before I was made captain, Ukitake tried to set me up with one of his third seats…”

“Kiyone!” Rangiku gasped.

She realised that the little blonde third seat would have been a good match for Toshiro. She was tomboyish, loved adventure and could hold her own against pigheaded boys, like the other co-third seat. Rangiku hadn’t considered tomboys to be within her captain’s type, but now that she thought about how close he’d become with Karin Kurosaki, it was definitely plausible that he might go for that kind of girl. It was a little disheartening if that were true because Rangiku was much more of a girly girl.

“Kiyone Kotetsu, that’s right,” Toshiro continued, “We only went on a couple of fun dates before I was promoted. I knew that I wouldn’t have time for her with my new responsibilities. Luckily, she was very understanding, and we still talk when I visit Ukitake. She has become a good friend.”

“Wow…how did I not know about any of this?” Rangiku spoke to herself, “I’m definitely going to tease her about it at the next SWA meeting…”

 

* * *

 

Toshiro felt good about getting all of that stuff off his chest, although that could just be the sake speaking. Deciding to slow down on that, he took a large sip from his glass of water and continued to listen to Rangiku’s story.

“…and then Ikkaku punched the owner of the bar, and we all got kicked out,”

They had finished their dinner long ago and even had dessert, and they were now one of the last couples left in the restaurant. Toshiro was glad that he had decided to go through with this date; admittedly, it had been one of the best nights of his life, and all they had done was talk.

The waiter came by to drop off their bill and collect the last items off their table. Toshiro forked some cash out of his pocket, and placed it on the tray.

“What do I owe you?” Rangiku asked, peering at the bill and trying to work out the math.

“You don’t pay.”

“ _Toshiro_ , I am perfectly capable of paying my half,” She glared at him. He always found it funny when she glared; he couldn’t take her seriously because he knew she never meant it.

“I know, but since I am the one who organised the date, I am the one who pays.”

“Is this another one of your date rules?” She smirked at him.

“Yes, it is. The man should always pay for the first date,” Toshiro lectured, “Have you always paid the bill on your dates?”

“No, not always, but it depends,” Rangiku explained, “Like on Tuesday, when I went out with Shuuhei; he would buy us a round of drinks and then I’d get the next one, and so on.”

“What about dinner?” Toshiro frowned, “Who paid for that?”

“We didn’t have dinner.”

Toshiro only stared at her. Well, that explains why she had been so wasted; with no food in her stomach since lunch nearly 8 hours previous to her leaving, the alcohol had gone straight to her head.

“Remind me to feed you before you go on any more dates with him…”

The Tenth Division leaders left the restaurant and walked out into the crisp night air. Toshiro wordlessly handed Rangiku his jacket when he noticed her starting to shiver; of course she wouldn’t bring her own jacket. Not that he minded anyway, he was fairly immune to the cold. Rangiku thanked him quietly and slipped it on; it fit her pretty well, as long as she didn’t try to zip it up over her breasts.

“The stars are out tonight,” Rangiku commented, “Don’t they look lovely?”

They did look lovely up there, Toshiro mused. It was a clear night, so the stars sparkled brightly against their ebony background. He could see Rangiku’s face as she craned her head back to look at them; her face lit up in pure delight. The way she felt about stars must have been similar to his feelings about the moon. He made a note to remember that in future; they could enjoy the night sky together.

“Come on, Rangiku, I’ll walk you home.”

It was a pathetic jab at Hisagi, he knew, but he was very adamant about it. He just didn’t like the idea of his lieutenant walking around at night alone; there were just too many things that might go wrong.

“Well, that’s easy for you, Toshiro,” Rangiku responded, “You live in the apartment next door. Shuuhei would have had to walk past his room, all the way to the Tenth and back again.”

The Seireitei was laid out in a circular fashion, in which the Central 46 chambers were in the centre, and the thirteen divisions circled it, clockwise and in chronological order. The city map was literally like the face of a clock with one extra hour.  

“Rangiku, if you lived at the Third or Fourth, I’d walk you there,” Toshiro argued, “If you lived one division over but the road was blocked, I’d just as happily walk you the other way around, past all thirteen divisions if need be, to get you home safely.”

Rangiku was silent. She seemed to be in deep thought about what he’d just said, and he was left wondering if any man had ever walked her home before. Probably not, if this night had taught him anything at all.

Toshiro’s busty lieutenant spoke up again as they passed through the South Gate and headed towards the Tenth.

“I suppose walking me home is another item off your checklist?”

“Indeed, it is.”

Rangiku hummed in agreement, “Where did you develop this list anyway?”

“Captain Shiba used to leave me notes here and there. They were always labelled ‘Daddy’s Dating Tips’…” Toshiro smiled at the memory of his idiot former captain, “And Ukitake and Kyoraku have taken to cornering me after captains’ meetings whenever they feel I need some advice.”

“That sounds like them,” Rangiku giggled beside him.

“It’s terribly embarrassing at times,” Toshiro continued, “You know how Ukitake gives me candy and presents? Well, Kyoraku does the same, except its _adult_ presents…”

Rangiku howled with laughter. She practically doubled over in her fit, and dramatically gasped for air, raising a hand to wipe away her tears of glee.

“It’s not funny, Matsumoto, it’s horrible. He calls it ‘our special bro-talk time’ and I don’t even know what that means!”

His last comment had pushed her over the edge; she was now an uncontrollable mess of giggles. In fact, she had to sit down for a minute to calm herself. She tried to stop as they continued on walking but all it did was make it worse, and Toshiro spent the entire trip listening to her strangled chuckles.

 

* * *

 

At last, they made it to Rangiku’s door. She stopped laughing long enough to pull her keys out of her purse.

“So, Toshiro, to conclude our night, what does your list say in regards to a goodnight kiss?”

She was being bold, she knew, and probably a little too bold since they were back in the division and many of their subordinates were still up and about making the most of their weekend.

“I’d only kiss a girl after the first date if I could tell that’s what she wanted, and if I had thought there was chemistry between us.”

Well, Rangiku knew she wanted it, but did Toshiro feel the chemistry? He must of; he’d been so relaxed with her all night and even a little flirty.

“And what do you do if the girl makes the first move?”

He shrugged, “I’m still waiting for it to happen.”

With a last mental thought of _‘oh, what the hell…’_ Rangiku threw herself into her Captain’s embrace and pressed her lips against his. She wasn’t sure if he was going to push her off or deepen it, but he did neither; he kissed her back softly, not taking it any further. She was happy with this result; she would have been pulling him straight to the bedroom if he had deepened the kiss and they just weren’t ready for that. Hell, she wasn’t even sure what was going to happen tomorrow, or how this was going to affect their relationship, but in this moment, she honestly couldn’t care less.

Rangiku never suspected her Captain would be such a good kisser. She felt fireworks go off in her head and she saw stars behind her closed eyelids. When Toshiro finally pulled back, her lips tingled, longing for his touch again.

“I’m definitely going to have to ask Kyoraku to cover that topic next time…,” Toshiro muttered softly as he struggled to regain his breath.

Rangiku giggled at his shell-shocked expression, and leaned forward to kiss him softly on the cheek.

“Thank you, Captain; I had a good time tonight.”

“I’m glad,” He responded, turning in the direction of his own room, “Sleep well, Matsumoto.”


	3. Part III

**Part III:**

MONDAY, 8:59am:

Toshiro sat behind his desk working through the very beginning of his weekly nightmare. Paperwork stacked up in various piles on his desk, and then when he was done with that, his lieutenant’s desk was in a much worse state.

A loud crash sounded from outside the office, and the door slid open slowly, revealing a rather flustered Rangiku.

“Captain!” She sung, “I’m on time today, aren’t you proud?”

“Very,” He responded dryly, “What is going on out there?”

“Oh, nothing, I just accidently bumped into the fifth seat while he was carrying a heap of training equipment…”

Toshiro sighed to himself; this woman would be the death of him.

“Okay then. Get started on your work and don’t forget that you’re supposed to be leading a drill practise for the new recruits at 11.”

Rangiku pouted at him but sat behind her desk nevertheless.

This was the first time Toshiro had seen his lieutenant since their date on Saturday night – and since that incredible goodnight kiss – and to be honest, he was feeling quite tense. He didn’t know what he wanted anymore; never had he liked her so much. He wanted to be the one to take her on future dates, and hold her hand. He wanted to take her home at night and hold her while she sleeps…but what if it didn’t work? Toshiro couldn’t face the risk of losing his lieutenant. More than that, she was his friend, one of his only friends, and he could never forgive himself if he lost her or hurt her in any way.

He could feel Rangiku staring at him as he worked. He wasn’t sure how she felt about it either. She had thrown herself at him and initiated the kiss, but then again, Rangiku was known for being rather affectionate, and maybe she just wanted to cap off the night. Maybe she just wanted a novelty kiss from her captain? That last though made his heart sink. It didn’t sound like something she’d do but he was overthinking things and his mind was spiralling out of control, so to him maybe it was possible.

“Um, Captain?” Rangiku’s soft voice brought him back, “Hello, Captain?”

“What is it, Matsumoto?” He snapped. _Damn_ , he didn’t mean to sound so harsh.

“You’ve been staring at the wall for over a minute now,” She explained, a somewhat concern expression on her face, “Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine, do your work.”

They worked silently for another hour, well Toshiro worked; he was pretty sure Rangiku was just flipping through a magazine behind those stacks of paper. He hadn’t actually made much of a dent himself; he just kept thinking about his lieutenant, constantly going back and forth. He was pretty sure he’d come to his conclusion though: they couldn’t be together. It just wouldn’t work and he was not prepared to risk losing her over it. The idea of keeping their relationship platonic was killing him inside; his decision was practical but definitely not what he wanted deep inside.

“Thank you for showing me how a real man behaves on a date, Sir, it was very educational,” She winked at him.

“You’re welcome,” Toshiro said gruffly, “That’s what _friends_ do. I’m sure you will put that to good use in the future.”

Was that too obvious? Too harsh? He had emphasised the word ‘friends’ and had implied that she continue dating other men. Rangiku had apparently got the hint, because she was no longer smiling at him.

“Sir, Tetsuzaemon asked me to go on a date with him tomorrow night; do you think I should go?” She asked, her eyes searching for his.

Rangiku was testing him. She wanted to get a reaction from him, to see if he wanted her to go on the date, suggesting that they should keep their relationship as it is, or to see if he would get mad and demand she not go, signifying to her that he might want to take things further between them.

“Who?” Toshiro frowned, not recognising the name.

“Lieutenant Iba, Sir.”

_Ugh, not that guy_ ; former Eleventh Division brute, now second in command under Captain Komamura. He’d never bothered to get to know the guy as he so rarely encountered him. His captain often spoke highly of his loyalty but Toshiro could not get over the fact that the man wore sunglasses at all hours of the night and day, regardless of whether he was inside or outside.

“You should go then,” He lied.

There, it was done. Toshiro had officially severed any ideas either of them had about starting their own romantic relationship. He hated himself for it. He hated the way Rangiku was looking at him; disappointed and a little heart broken. She must have wanted to be with him too. Knowing that made things harder, but Toshiro believed he did the right thing. Rangiku would get over it soon enough and then find herself someone who would look after her better than he could, and they could return to normal.

“Ok, good, um…I’ll let him know,” She spoke solemnly, before rising to her feet, “I better get to drill practise now, Sir.”

And with that, she strode right out the door. There was still 45 minutes until drill practise.

 

* * *

 

MONDAY, 1:25pm:

Rangiku sat at the table picking at her lunch. Nanao sat across from her, having come to visit during their shared lunch hour.

“Come on, Rangiku, cheer up,” Nanao said in a strict voice.

“I’m not hungry,” Rangiku whined.

Rangiku frowned as the dark haired lieutenant sighed and finished off the rest of her lunch. Rangiku was upset that her captain had told her to go on a date with another man. She had hoped he’d want her all to himself, that he’d get possessive and tell her that she was his and his alone, but he didn’t. Toshiro did not want to be in a relationship with her, that much was clear.

“I think he was just trying to do the right thing by you, Ran,” Nanao suggested as lightly as she could, “He probably doesn’t want to ruin the relationship you two already have.”

Rangiku groaned and placed her head on the table, covering her face with folded arms. She was doing her best to keep her emotions at bay, but she was hurting, and hurting bad. She had done the unthinkable on Saturday night; she had fallen in love with Toshiro Hitsugaya. It was stupid; he was her captain, and she his right hand woman. 

“How come Shunsui didn’t reject you then? He’s your captain and he still wanted to be with you.”

“Yes, but I spent years trying to reject him. I am more similar to Captain Hitsugaya in that way and you are more like my captain.”

It was true that they were similar teams, but with opposite counter parts. The tenth had a hard working captain and a lazy lieutenant and the Eighth had it the other way around. Even their personalities were similar.

“How did he wear you down then?” She asked; maybe she’d get an idea on how to change Toshiro’s mind.

“He was awfully persistent,” Nanao blushed before adding dryly, “I’ve never seen him work so hard at something.”

Rangiku gave a half smile. She was one of the few people who got to see the Eighth Division team in their private time being a close friend of Nanao and drinking buddies with Captain Kyoraku. She adored the way he would look at his girlfriend and lieutenant. She wanted that so badly, and she wanted it with her own captain.

“He also used to flirt with other girls,” Nanao continued, “One day, I got so mad at him that I exploded. He kissed me then, and I realised he was trying to make me jealous. Sneaky bastard.”

“And it worked?”

“Apparently.”

_Lightbulb moment._

Rangiku Matsumoto had an idea. She would make her captain jealous when she goes on her date tomorrow night; he’ll get so worked up that he’ll just spill all of his feelings right out. It was a brilliant idea, in her opinion. It must have showed on her face because Nanao was rapidly trying to talk her out of it.

“Rangiku, no! It won’t work on him; you’ll lose his trust…”

Rangiku tuned out. Her plan was going to work and she knew it.

 

* * *

 

TUESDAY, 7:30pm:

Rangiku was prancing around the office in what was obviously a new dress. She looked stunning as always, Toshiro noted, as she awaited the arrival of Lieutenant Iba. Evidently, she was in a great mood, which just pulled his down.

Rangiku had clearly gotten over whatever ‘thing’ they had going on, and she had done it seemingly overnight. Of course, it was what he wanted for her, to move on and put it behind her, but he wasn’t expecting her to do it so quickly. It hurt him to think she could just move along to the next guy like that.

“Would you please sit down, Matsumoto; you’re giving me a headache!” He snapped. He swore he could have just seen her smirk at him.

Before she could get to the couch, a knock on the door caused them both to look up. Happily, she bounced over and slid it open. The lieutenant of the Seventh Division wandered into the office still bearing his sunglasses despite the lack of sun. It was night time and he was indoors, _what a fool._

“What’s cookin’ good lookin’?” Iba probably winked, but who could tell.

Toshiro felt the urge to bang his head against the desk. Seriously?! This guy?!

Rangiku giggled stupidly as she turned towards Toshiro with a large smile planted across her beautiful face.

“Okay, Captain, we’ll be going now,” She said, “Don’t wait up for me.”

“Wait, Matsumoto!” Toshiro exclaimed before he could stop himself.

Rangiku looked at him expectantly. He wanted to tell her not to go, to stay with him. Well, what he really wanted was to jump across the desk and make out with her on the office floor, but that could just be his hormones playing up again. Thinking quickly, Toshiro walked over to her desk and pulled her soul phone out of the top drawer.

“Take this with you,” He ordered, “And call me if you need anything.”

It was lame, he knew, but Rangiku smiled at him all the same. She nodded and turned to leave. Iba was out of the door first ( _typical,_ really, why would he let a lady go first?), and so Toshiro grabbed her arm before she could follow him.

“I mean it, Matsumoto, call me, even if it’s just to walk you home…please.”

_Damn that woman_ , making him feel so pathetic and desperate for just sounding out his concerns.

“Yes, Sir!” She gave him a mock salute and a wink, and skipped happily through the door after her date.

Toshiro sighed; it was going to be a long night.

 

* * *

 

Rangiku was having some regrets about going on a date with Tetsuzaemon. Despite being both lieutenants, they hadn’t actually ever spent a lot of time together, not alone anyway. As president of the Shinigami Men’s Association, or SMA for short, he was often at odds with her friend Nanao, who was the Vice-President of the SWA under Yachiru, and Rangiku was starting to realise why. Nanao followed a more feminist ideology, while Tetsuzaemon was a ‘sexist pig’ to use her words.

Well, Nanao was right about the ‘pig’ part anyway, Rangiku noted, as she watched her date shovel Okonomiyaki into his mouth with his bare hands while he lectured her on why Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki was much better than the Osaka-style.

They were in a fairly dodgy restaurant, in which food lay on the ground (looking several days old), and a bad smell wafted from the kitchen. To make matters worse, they were in a very poor district where the crime rates are usually much higher. To be honest, she wasn’t feeling very comfortable, especially not in her new, low cut dress.

Mentally, she ran through Toshiro’s ‘Guide to a Good Date’, checking off the items Tetsuzaemon had achieved:

  1. Did he organise the date a few days in advance? Check. Did she agree to this restaurant? No, not really.
  2. Did he pick her up on time? Check. Did he bring flowers? No, he certainly did not.
  3. Had he complimented her efforts to look good for him? Well, not unless she counted him staring at her boobs and muttering “So fuckin’ hot” under his breath.
  4. Had they talked about anything that would interest her? Nope, not even close.



They hadn’t got to the bill or walking home yet, but she didn’t have high hopes for him. He was on his way to becoming quite drunk too, which was a big no-no in her captain’s books.

Rangiku herself was beginning to feel a little tipsy, but she made sure she didn’t get too drunk this time. She wasn’t exactly in the best neighbourhood. She forced herself to eat the cagey food, if only to line her stomach before drinking.

“So, Tetsuzaemon, what are the SMA working on at the moment?” Rangiku asked, trying to find something for them to talk about, “Anything interesting?”

“They won’t be getting a new project until they complete the one I already gave them,” Tetsuzaemon growled, “They’re supposed to be growing moustaches like mine, but they’re hopeless, all of them.”

Rangiku frowned in distaste; so that was why most of her male friends had stop shaving. They were struggling to get that exact moustache, she agreed, remembering Renji coming to a lieutenant’s meeting looking like a redheaded Mario. She had fallen off her chair laughing along with everyone else, with the exception of Nanao, Yemu and Chojiro.

“Why do you want them to look like you?” Rangiku asked.

“It’s a good look,” Tetsuzaemon smirked, “But you already knew that, didn’t you, Babe?”

_Oh, yuck_ , Rangiku swallowed, trying desperately to keep her food down. She hated – HATED – when guys called her ‘Babe’ with that stupid cocky grin and lust-filled eyes. She didn’t mind it as a pet name when in a relationship, but it sounded awful rolling off the tongue of the arrogant man in front of her.

Easily blocking out Tetsuzaemon’s rant on why Hiroshima was the greatest city in Japan, Rangiku let her mind wander back to a certain grumpy captain; because of him, she could not go back to normal men. For one night, she had been shown what it really means to be treated like a lady, and now every guy she came across was a bitter disappointment. She wanted to be called beautiful and have doors opened for her and chairs pulled out. She wanted someone to look her in the eye and treat her like she was the most special thing in the world, just like Toshiro did. _Damn that man_ ; he had ruined all future men for her.

Rangiku missed Toshiro. She wondered what he was doing at this moment; probably still working through the paperwork and forgetting to eat dinner. He was such a mess sometimes, a cute mess, but a mess nonetheless. She would never tell him that, of course. Rangiku really hoped her plan would work; it seemed to have an effect at least, which had been obvious before she left for the night. He could tell her to date other men but he couldn’t hide the care and concern in his eyes.

Oh, his eyes, his beautiful teal eyes.  She missed them the most. And his unique white hair. It scared some, but she thought it was wonderful; like freshly fallen snow. It was soft too, from what she remembered. She had spent a lot of time ruffling his hair when he was younger; he’d always try to swat her hand away and now that his reflexes were better, she rarely got to touch it.

She remembered being quite shocked to realise how much he had grown on Saturday night. How had she missed this? For the first time, she was seeing him as an adult and a potential love interest, not the little boy she found in Junrinan. But it was true; he had grown up. He was strong and mature, tackling adult issues more confidently and leading the Tenth through its golden age. It was probably the Winter War that had done it to him, when he had so much responsibility hanging over him his only choice was to sink or swim. God, she loved him.

“Oi, Babe?” Tetsuzaemon called, “Are you listening to me?”

“Huh? Oh sorry, Tetsuzaemon, I got a little distracted, what were you saying?”

Rangiku was sure that the man was glaring at her but with those sunglasses on, she couldn’t be sure. She briefly wondered what colour his eyes were, she had never seen them.

“Wanna get dessert?” The lieutenant of the Seventh asked.

“Um, none for me, thanks, but you go ahead,” Rangiku replied hastily, not wanting to eat any more of this suspicious food than necessary.

Tetsuzaemon shrugged and clicked at the waitress. A few dirty jokes later, and the poor young girl was scrambling off to the kitchen with his order. Rangiku had to duck her head in shame, as Tetsuzaemon addressed the girl like she was a lowly prostitute from the red light district next door.

“Please don’t talk to her like that,” Rangiku advised softly, “She’s just trying to do her job.”

“What?” Tetsuzaemon snapped, obviously insulted.

“I just…I don’t think it’s appropriate, Tetsuzaemon.”

“Oh jeez, Babycakes,” Tetsuzaemon laughed, finishing his glass of sake and pouring himself another, “You sound like Nanao, and that’s not a compliment.”

Rangiku’s eye twitched – a bad habit she had picked up from a certain someone – and she forced herself to take a deep, calming breath.

“Nanao is my friend, please don’t talk about her like that,” She answered coolly, trying to hold her ground without making the situation worse.

Before Tetsuzaemon could respond, the young waitress had reappeared to let them know that the restaurant was currently out of stock of the dessert Tetsuzaemon had picked. Rangiku had not expected the uproar that followed.

“USELESS GIRL!” Tetsuzaemon bellowed, “GET OUT OF MY SIGHT AND DON’T COME BACK WITHOUT MY DESSERT!”

Rangiku froze in her position. She was pressed up against the back of her chair, as far from her date as physically possible without getting up from the table. Tetsuzaemon had lost it; she hadn’t seen it coming. She wondered whether there had been a catalyst for this abrupt outburst or if this was just the way the guy was. Either way, she didn’t like it.

Tetsuzaemon took deep breaths from his seat opposite her, muttering quietly to himself.

“Honestly, I’m a Lieutenant now, they need to show me more respect…”

The restaurant owner came over to their table a minute later, the bill in his hand.

“I’m sorry, Sir, but I am going to have to ask you to pay the bill and leave now.”

The lieutenant of the Seventh Division glared murder up at restaurant owner – who was now looking rather pale – and Tetsuzaemon suddenly stood to full height. He towered over the owner and for a minute, Rangiku was terribly afraid. She knew that look; it was the look most soul reapers had before slicing down a hollow.

Without thinking, Rangiku stood between them, nudging Tetsuzaemon back a step.

“It’s okay, we’re leaving now,” Rangiku spoke to the restaurant owner, trying desperately to defuse the tension.

Thankfully, Tetsuzaemon only growled and then stormed out. Rangiku sighed in relief before apologising to the restaurant staff and handing over money to cover the bill and the trouble her date had caused.

She stepped out into the cold night air and once again regretted not bringing a jacket. She called around for Tetsuzaemon but he had vanished. Sighing, she pulled her soul phone out of her purse; her captain would kill her if she walked home alone again.

“Hey there, Sexy,” a sultry voice sounded from behind, “Are you lost?”

Rangiku whipped around to see four burly men striding towards her. They surrounded her like animals circling their prey. She did not like where this was going.

“No, I’m alright, thank you,” She said, trying to appear as confident as possible as she walked towards the Seireitei.

A man stood in her way. He grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

“Why don’t you come with us?” He hissed.

The other men were closing in on her. Their eyes were dark and their smiles sinister. Unconsciously, Rangiku’s free arm moved up in an effort to cover herself. Futile, really; it wouldn’t help her now. Her pulse raced as the hand around her forearm tightened painfully.

In a fleet of panic, she punched the guy holding her arm straight in the nose. As expected, the man whirled back, removing his hand from Rangiku’s arm in order to clutch his bleeding face. With a clear path now ahead of her, Rangiku flash-stepped away from the men before they could lunge forward. She heard them curse, but she didn’t look back. She kept up her speed.

After a few minutes, she landed in a forest clearing. She had no idea where she was, and she hadn’t been paying attention to where she was going. Her only thought had been ‘run!’, and as a result, she was now completely lost. She was also without her purse; she must have dropped it when she punched that man. There wasn’t anything of great value within it; a bit of left over cash, her lipstick and…and her keys.

Rangiku slumped tiredly against a tree. This had been, without a doubt, the worst night of her life. She could feel the tears building behind her eyes. To be completely honest, she had been scared. It pained her to admit it, for she was supposed to be a brave lieutenant of the Gotei 13, but never had she come so close to something of that nature. She knew what would have happened to her if she hadn’t escaped, and the thought terrified her. She had fled just in time, but now she was alone and in a dark forest with god knows what other predators out there; human or otherwise.

To make matters worse, she had lost her keys, and had no idea where she was. The only thing she had managed to hold onto was her soul phone.

She dialled her captain’s number and shakily raised the phone to her ear.

_“Matsumoto,”_ Toshiro answered after the first ring, _“What do you need?”_

“I’m lost, Captain, I don’t know where I am and Tetsuzaemon is gone.” Rangiku told him. She was doing her best to keep her voice even.

_“I’ll find you,”_ Her captain didn’t hesitate, _“Stay on the phone with me.”_

 

* * *

 

TUESDAY, 9:51pm:

Toshiro leapt across rooftops at his fastest speed. He had to get Rangiku; she was alone, lost and he could tell she was afraid even though she was denying it wholeheartedly. He headed towards the North Gate, to where she said she had dinner that night. She couldn’t be far from there.

_“Are you still there, Captain?”_ Rangiku asked; her voice laced with oncoming tears.

“Yes, I’m here. I’m almost at the gate,” Toshiro responded, clutching the phone to his ear as he bound across his colleagues’ division roofs.

He could see the gate now, standing high in all its glory. Toshiro focused on his lieutenant’s spiritual pressure; it took him a minute, but eventually he caught hold of her red spirit ribbon.

“I’ve found your spirit ribbon, Matsumoto, I’ll be there shortly.”

He heard a very faint ‘thank you’ and wasted no time in flash-stepping towards her direction. A few minutes passed as he sped through a handful of districts and eventually landed in the centre of a forest clearing.

He spied Rangiku sitting at the base of a large tree, and made his way over to her. She was shivering, and she looked terrified. It broke Toshiro’s heart to see her looking so vulnerable; he didn’t know what had happened but there was a good chance he’d be hunting down a certain lieutenant of the Seventh after this.

Toshiro approached Rangiku slowly, slipping off his haori in the process.

“Hey,” He greeted her softly, crouching down to her level and draping the Haori over her shoulders.

“Hi,” She greeted him in return, her voice shaking, “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course,” Toshiro sighed, “What happened, Matsumoto?”

Rangiku’s bottom lip quivered, and Toshiro pulled her into a tight embrace. She let down whatever guard she had up and cried into his shoulder. She had only ever cried in front of him once, and that was after Ichimaru’s death, so he knew she must have been really shaken up tonight.

Toshiro adjusted their positions so that he was now the one sitting against the tree truck, and Rangiku was sitting next to him, her legs draped across his lap. She had thrown her arms around him and was crying into his neck while he held her waist and rubbed soothing circles into her hips with his thumbs.

He held her while she talked. She told him everything; about Iba losing his temper at her and the restaurant staff before disappearing, about the men who grabbed her and how she got free, and about getting lost and losing her purse. Toshiro didn’t respond at first; just letting her get it all out while he seethed silently. He was going to kill Iba, and once he was finished with that, he was going after those thugs.

Eventually, Rangiku’s story ended and so did her tears. She sat beside him, her legs resting atop his, and she hiccupped herself into silence. Toshiro made her look up at the sky, to where hundreds of stars twinkled exquisitely, and fortunately, it calmed her down. She rested her head against his shoulder, and he pulled his shihakusho sleeve over his thumb to wipe away her mascara-mingled tears and the clear liquid dripping from her nose.

“Are you ready to go home?” Toshiro whispered a while later.

“I’ve lost my keys,” She replied, taking a deep breath.

“I’ll organise to get your lock changed tomorrow and a new set of keys,” Toshiro replied, untangling himself from his lieutenant and helping her to stand up, “You can stay with me tonight. I want to make sure you’re safe.”

Rangiku nodded and they started off in the direction of the Seireitei. Rangiku wanted to walk instead of flash-step, probably to clear her mind; it would take them close to two hours to get home, but Toshiro didn’t mind if she didn’t.

They were crossing under the gate just over an hour and a half later. Toshiro held her hand as he led through the twisting streets of the Seireitei; she seemed to like the comfort. Rangiku would probably disagree right now, but Toshiro was so proud of how she was handling the night. Where Rangiku would have seen breaking down and crying like that to be a sign of weakness, Toshiro focused on how strong she had been; handling the situation at the restaurant despite her pig of a date, using her physical strength and soul reaper training to escape from the thugs, and then being smart enough to call him for help afterwards.

That showed true courage and strength in his opinion; to admit when you need help and to be able to express your feelings. He knew, because it was something he often struggled with himself. Rangiku was the strongest woman in the Seireitei, that’s for sure.

“Captain, wait,” Rangiku stopped suddenly, “I need to tell you something else.”

“What is it?” Toshiro turned to face her. She was looking very ashamed of herself, “What’s wrong, Matsumoto?”

“I…I-I only went on this date to make you jealous,” She admitted, looking down at her feet, “I’m sorry.”

“What?” Toshiro asked.

When she wouldn’t look at him, he rolled his eyes and hooked a finger under her chin. He felt a sense of Déjà vu as he guided her eyes to lock with his; the memory of trying to convince her she was beautiful lingering at the back of his mind.

“Why did you want to make me jealous, Matsumoto?”

“I wanted to know how you really feel about me,” Rangiku answered quietly, “That’s how Captain Kyoraku got Nanao to admit her feelings…”

“I’m not Kyoraku,” Toshiro sighed, removing his grip on her.

“No, you’re Nanao, I’m Shunsui.”

Toshiro frowned; this was weirdest discussion he’d had with her in a long time.

“You wanted to make me jealous of Iba…so that I’d get mad and rant my feelings out on you…because that’s how Kyoraku got Ise?,” Toshiro asked, raising a sceptical eyebrow.

Rangiku nodded, “Pretty stupid, huh?”

“A little,” Toshiro smirked, “Why would you want me to react like that?”

His lieutenant took a deep breath, “Because I love you, and I want to be with you…I-I know – ugh – I _hoped_ you might feel the same way.”

Toshiro stood still, trying to process what Rangiku was saying to him. To be honest, he was stuck on the ‘love’ bit. So she hadn’t moved on quickly, he realised; she’d actually wanted him all along.

“What if I hurt you?” Toshiro whispered, his resolve to keep their relationship professional fading fast, “What if it ends badly and I lose you? I can’t lose you, Matsumoto.”

Rangiku took a step towards him, closing the small gap between them. She placed a soft hand against his shoulder and leant forward to kiss his cheek. Her lips felt nice there, but then she moved them to his ear. Toshiro shivered upon feeling her warm breath tickle the hairs on his neck.

“I’m not going anywhere, _Toshiro_.”

And that was all he needed to hear.

Toshiro cupped her cheek and guided her lips to him. Softly at first, he moved his lips with hers, just relishing the thought of being close to her. He snaked an arm around her waist and she responded enthusiastically, playfully tugging his bottom lip between hers. He asked for entrance and was accepted; gently meeting her tongue in what would hopefully be the first of many get-togethers for the velvety appendages.

He didn’t care that they were kissing in the middle of a brightly lit street in the Seireitei. He didn’t care that it was coming up on midnight. He didn’t care that the night watch of whichever division they were standing in front of was probably getting a good show. He just cared about the woman in his arms.

The kiss began to heat up; Rangiku was threading her hands through his hair and it felt great. Toshiro himself was running his hands all over her back and sides, just trying to touch as much of her as he could. His tongue was exploring her mouth desperately, and when her thigh slipped between his legs and nudged at his crotch area, he knew he was going to have to take this somewhere a little more private.

He pulled back breathlessly, Rangiku copying him. The way she looked right now was something he wanted to remember for the rest of his life; her cheeks were flushed and her hair was all over the place, her lips were swollen and her eyes contained the wildest of emotions; love.

“You’re so beautiful, Rangiku,” He whispered, taking her hand and kissing it lightly before tugging her along in the direction of the Tenth.

 

* * *

 

WEDNESDAY, 10:16am:

Rangiku awoke in a bed that was not her own. She felt a strong arm tighten its grip around her waist. It was a nice feeling, to be in the protective hold of the one she loved, and she could feel Toshiro’s lips pressing soft kisses into the back of her neck.

Rolling over, Rangiku came face to face with her captain. Last night had been amazing – well, from the time her captain had found her in the forest onwards – and now she was having the greatest morning of her life, and she had only been fully conscious for 30 seconds.

“Good morning,” Toshiro whispered, pressing his lips to hers. God, that felt amazing.

“Morning,” She mumbled back.

His fingers left a trail of goosebumps on her skin as they travelled down her spin and left her arching into him. Her breasts pressed up against his bare chest and he leant down to kiss along her collar bone. For some reason, he had taken an interest in that area of her body, which – as Rangiku quickly found out – was her weak spot.

She hummed in approval as his fingers slowly trailed up her hips and along her sides.

“You’re gonna be late,” Rangiku teased him.

“I’m the boss, I can be late if I want,” He chuckled, “And the third seat already came round and I told him that I wouldn’t be in until after lunch…”

“What about me?”

“You’re always late, Matsumoto, no one ever expects you before midday.”

With the help of her famous pout, Rangiku feigned hurt and gave him a soft smack on the arm.

“We have a combined captains and lieutenants meeting at 11:30 though, which neither of us can be late for.”

“Luckily that’s an hour away,” She winked at him suggestively, “And I can think of a good way to pass the time.”

“You are like Kyoraku,” Toshiro frowned at her.

Rangiku laughed and kissed him. He joined in, so he couldn’t have been too creeped out by the comparison.

“Ok, but let’s make this quick,” Toshiro pulled back from the kiss, “I want to have a little _chat_ with Komamura’s lieutenant.”

“Oh really?” Rangiku asked, moving to kiss along his jaw and down his neck. The protective nature of her captain was a serious turn on.

“Nobody treats my girlfriend like that.”

Oh yep, Rangiku was gone. She ran a hand through his hair and pulled him close, plunging her tongue deep into his mouth. She was going to give her boyfriend the greatest morning of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm slowly moving all my FFN fics over so keep an eye out for more ;)
> 
> The reason why I am posting this fic here right now is to highlight one of my favourite bleach pairings. I have signed up to write for the Bleach Big Bang in which I will be writing another HitsuMatsu piece, somewhat similar to this one in that it will be set in the Soul Society, way post canon, and hopefully it will be some lighthearted humour and romance for you all. If you're interested in knowing more about the Bang or joining the bleach fandom discord(s), comment on this story or reach me through Tumblr under the same username.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this ol' fic o' mine. <3


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